Song of the Tesseract
by RiverRaieghn
Summary: She was created to be a weapon, she was sentenced to life in a Russian prison, but she was rescued by SHIELD. Charlotte knew no other life than the one Hydra chose for her, the one he carved for her. But now she has a chance to save the world, there is just one problem. Loki. He haunts her, the sadness in his eyes reflecting her own. If only she could save him... R&R.
1. Invasion

_The pain was deafening. Her entire body seemed to be enveloped in a coursing fire that would not cease no matter how much she willed it to. She was long out of tears leaving quiet hiccups in their stead. Her body had become limp and useless and she sank to the ground wincing as the wooden pole she was tied to left abrasions in its wake. She could hear him talking to his little assistant in hushed tones but her eyes were too languid and heavy for her to bother looking in their direction._

_"I don't want to do it," the assistant whispered, his German accent thick. "She is nice. Doing this could kill her."_

_"I am aware of that," Spoke the one in charge. Hydra is what she had heard him called. He was a tall man, the right hand of Hitler, the one she had been sent to spy on. "She has too much information. We either kill her or we make use of her. Prepare the cube."_

_"Ye..yes.." The assistant hung his head in shame. She could hear Hydra's footsteps making their way towards her. She fought against her restraints as much as she could, she didn't have much strength left, but she didn't want to become his experiment either. She had seen what had happened to her friends._

_"Shh..." Hydra whispered at her as he grabbed a hold of her arm dragging her up. "Everything is going to be much better." She fought against him as he undid her restraint and dragged her across the laboratory towards a metal chair._

_"No!" She screamed struggling against his grip as he tossed her into the chair._

_"NO!"_

* * *

Charlie had never seen anything more beautiful than the Tesseract nor more deadly. It was nothing more than a cube with a fancy light show but its power was more remarkable than anything she had ever seen or experienced before.

Dr. Erik Selvig was currently running operations fluttering from computer to computer trying to keep the scientists under control while the building was being evacuated and Director Fury was pounding him with questions. Moving the Tesseract now was too much of a risk and even if they could it would just continue misbehaving as it was now.

Charlie stood at the base of the ramp looking on with interest as the Tesseract shot off random flare rings. There was a time when she never would have thought to be a part of something like this or that these things even existed but time after time she was constantly amazed at what was really out there in the world for people to discover. She had tried her best to convince Fury to hand the cube over to Thor before he left New Mexico but he had vehemently refused and Charlie was pretty sure she knew why.

"Don't get too close," a whisper came from behind her. Charlie rolled her eyes and smiled as she turned to face the intruder. Clint Barton stood with his arms crossed a small smile on his face.

"Finally come down from your nest I see," Charlie smiled back at him. "I was wondering when you were going to join the fun."

"I see things..."

"...Better from a distance," she finished for him. "I know. I know." Clint went to say something in response when out of no where the facility began to shake. Clint ran towards the shouting Fury while Charlie watched the Tesseract in utter fascination as the flaring rings began to spout more and more, their color getting brighter, roaring like a boiling pot of water building up energy until...

"Charlie!" Barton yelled. "Get the hell out of there!" She only had a moment to react before the Tesseract shot out a beam of blue light aimed directly at her. Charlie ducked beneath the beam lying flat as she could against the cold hard steel of the ramp.

A large black hole began to form on the other end of the Tesseract. Charlie lifted her head just enough to see the blackness of space, beautiful and mysterious. She had never seen anything like it. Millions of stars twinkled in the black of space so close that Charlie felt as if all she had to do was reach out and she could touch one, but just as quickly as it had appeared, the black hole was gone leaving a gust of blue clouds in its wake. But that was not all it left.

Charlie felt frozen in place as she watched the SHIELD guards took slow deliberate steps towards the intruder their weapons at the ready. Tesseract energy rolled of his emerald and black armor like smoke. Slowly the intruder rose up his darkened smile sending shivers up her spine. Charlie felt the familiar pull of the Tesseracts' energy radiating off the spear the man held in his hands. She wasn't the only one to notice it.

"Sir!" Fury yelled across the room maintaining his composure. "Please put down the spear!"

The man looked at the spear for a moment as if in deep contemplation and the next thing anyone knew Barton was tackling Fury to the ground, both of them barely missing getting hit by the energy from the spear.

Charlie rolled off the ramp and ducked underneath as all hell broke loose. The room was filled with gun fire but nothing seemed to stop him, the bullets merely ricocheting off of him as if her were an armored tank. His steps were deliberate and one by one the agents of SHIELD were decommissioned.

Her heart was racing in her chest like a jackhammer. Slowly she crept her way towards Barton who was struggling to stand.

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked grabbing his left arm and heaving him up from the ground.

"I'm..." he didn't finish his sentence. One moment she was holding onto Barton's arm and the next she found herself being pushed to the ground by him as the man came at them spear poised and ready to attack. Barton raised his gun stepping in front of Charlie to block her from the threat but the intruder merely grabbed Barton's hand, twisting it in an odd shape.

"You have heart," The man's smile made Charlie shiver. She wasn't sure what to do. She was stuck somewhere between fight and flight but it was as if neither one of those reactions were kicking in. She watched in horror as the man's spear made its way towards Barton's head. Charlie screamed, she knew what was going to happen next but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't seem to avert her eyes. She would watch Barton die and she was completely and utterly useless to help. But instead of the blood and the gore Charlie had been expecting, Barton merely put his piece away and straightened himself up.

"Lets go," Charlie felt Fury's hands drag her to her feet and push her towards the Tesseract. "We need to get this out of here while he is distracted." Charlie nodded as she helped Fury load the Tesseract into a large silver case.

"Please don't," the man spoke his voice smooth and dark. "I still need that." Fury turned to face the man handing the case over to Charlie.

"This doesn't have to get any messier," Fury stated.

"Of course it does," the man objected eyeing Charlie. His cold green eyes locked on her blue ones as he spoke. "I have come too far for anything else. I am Loki of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose."

"Loki?" Selvig spoke up shocked. "Brother of Thor?" Loki's eyes left hers as he turned to look at Selvig.

"We have no quarrel with you people," Fury commented.

"An ant has no quarrel with a boot." He said a matter of fact.

Charlie looked down to see Fury's hand waving her out. Slowly Charlie made her way back towards the exit one slow step at a time while he was distracting Loki. The door wasn't far from where she was. She kept her eyes on the scene, her back to the door, she was almost there.

A sudden scream of pain escaped her lips when she felt a sharp twist in her arm. Barton came up behind her grabbing the arm with the case and twisting it behind her back. He kept a tight grip on her as he grabbed the fallen case and pushed her forwards.

"Sir, Director Fury is stalling. This place is about to blow." Barton's voice had lost its personality and Charlie could feel tears welling in her eyes as her longtime friend pushed her to the ground. "He means to bury us."

"Like the pharaohs of old," Fury admitted.

"He is right. The portal is collapsing in on itself," Selvig seconded. "This place is going critical, we have maybe two minutes."

"Well then..." Loki looked at Barton.

Charlie let out another scream as Barton shot Fury without any hesitation. Barton proceeded to grab the case containing the Tesseract and hauled Charlie to her feet.

"Move," he shoved her forward.

"Kill the girl," Loki ordered. Barton hesitated. Loki stopped and turned to face him.

"I said .Girl." he ordered. Barton didn't move.

"I can't move, sir," Barton had become tense, his hands were shaking as if he was trying to reach for his gun but something was holding him back. Loki looked over at Charlie whose blue eyes were fixed on Barton.

Loki could tell she was using every ounce of strength she had to keep the man from fulfilling his orders. He was impressed, not many people could deter the power of the Tesseract.

"Impressive," Loki complimented her darkly. "What power you must have to defy mine." Charlie could hear him but she was too weak to talk and maintain her connection to Barton at the same time. She could feel him, she could sense the real Barton deep inside trying to scratch his way to the surface of his mind. Charlie could barely breathe, her chest was tight and her lungs were working their hardest to get air.

Charlie grunted as Loki's scepter made a blunt impact on her head. With her connection to Barton lost he drew his gun on her ready to fire.

"Your orders, sir?" Barton asked Loki who held his hand up for silence.

"What are you, little one?" he asked as he knelt down to her level. His gaze was fixed on her with interest and Charlie found that she couldn't look away. "You're old aren't you? Stuck here in this mortal world with no one who can understand you; join me, and that will all change." Charlie looked down at the ground as if contemplating his proposal but instead of accepting the hand he held out for her she spat in his face.

"Go to hell."

Loki just smiled.

"Then be buried with your precious SHIELD." Charlie didn't see it coming. One moment she was staring into his cold eyes and the next she found herself fighting off the haze of darkness, trying to stay conscious. The last thing she remembered was Fury hauling her out of the building...

**Hi guys! So-this is my first Avenger fic so go a little easy on me. But I do welcome constructive criticism :) Please review so that I know if you like it or not :)**


	2. Recruitment

The building looked like it had been decorated by someone from the 1940's. It was 'old fashioned' in every aspect from the boxing ring to the set-up of the punching bags along the wall. So this was where he had been staying since he had been defrosted. Charlie felt a pang of jealousy. They came from the same era, both born in a time of chivalry and war, and both wanted to help fight the darkness that had been corroding the world, but each of them ended at the opposite end of the spectrum.

He had ended up a hero and she had ended up a prisoner of war with a majority of her life spent in an underground prison.

It had been two days since Loki's arrival and Fury had made it abundantly clear that they were at war. Even against the orders of his superiors he still wanted to use the best weapons he had at his disposal...The Avengers.

Charlie watched from the corner of the room as Steve Rogers concentrated on punching the bag in front of him. He was deep in thought, so deep in fact that he hadn't even noticed them, at least not at first. Finally, he punched the bag so hard it went flying off its hinges and into the wall behind it. Roger's sighed and went and grabbed another one.

"Trouble sleeping?"

"I slept for seventy years, sir," Rogers answered punching at the bag. "I think I have had my fill." Fury started towards Rogers and Charlie followed behind him.

"Then you should be celebrating," Fury commented. "Seeing the world." Rogers stopped what he was doing and walked towards him gym bag that sat on a bench to the side.

"When I went under we were at war," he said unraveling his hand bindings. "I wake up and they say we won; what they didn't say was what we lost." Charlie listened as Rogers and Fury talked. She knew Fury was giving him the speech about things have changed and mistakes have been made and blah, blah, blah.

He used the same speech on her when he took over SHIELD. She had spent most of her life in a Russian prison, after Howard Stark had helped her escape, and then she was transferred to a SHIELD prison where she was poked and prodded. Her abilities where measured and catalogued, and she was taught to be a soldier. The very thing Howard had tried to protect her from. But at least with Fury and SHIELD she got some semblance of freedom.

She remembered Steve. Captain America is what they had named him back in her time, the hero of the war and he was. If it hadn't been for him Charlie would have never escaped Hydra and his men, she would have lived as his prisoner forever, and given the choice between staying with Hydra and being prisoner in Russia...

Russia won.

"Charlotte," Fury motioned for her to join him. Charlie rolled her eyes at the use of her full name. It was old fashioned. "Stay with Rogers." Charlie nodded and followed Rogers out of the gym and up five flights of stairs to the small apartment he had been given. It wasn't anything fancy and just like the gym downstairs it looked as if it had been constructed in the 1940s.

"Babysitting, huh?" Roger's asked. "Not a very fancy job." Charlie smiled and sat down cross-legged on his bed watching as he packed what little he owned.

"Beats being with Fury," she commented. "That whole stoic personality thing never goes away. It's like traveling with a brick wall that occasionally talks. Plus, I think he has you keeping an eye on me, not the other way around. He still thinks I have too much power for my own good."

"That is what people used to say about me," he recalled. "They gave me this power to defeat Hitler but in the end I let them down." Charlie laughed. She couldn't help herself. He had been feeling bad because he couldn't stop Hitler when he had stopped a complete world take-over by a deranged lunatic.

Steve turned and gave her an odd look.

"Sorry," Charlie mumbled sheepishly trying her hardest to keep the laughter contained. "It's just that you let people down because you didn't defeat Hitler, who by the way, made so many mistakes he ultimately killed himself. Look at what you did do. You defeated a monster and kept the Tesseract safe from him. I call that fulfilling your duty." Not too mentioned you saved me she thought to herself.

Steve sighed.

"If I had done my job better no one would have found the cube in the first place."

Charlie bit her lip.

"That was not entirely your fault," she admitted. "In exchange for helping me...I helped Howard Stark find the cube. Well, we were actually searching for you not the cube, but the cube was all we found.":

Steve ran a hand through his boyish hair.

"How did you do that?" he asked. "You don't look any older than-what? Twenty-Five?"

It was Charlie's turn to smile.

"Twenty-seven actually," She corrected him. "And you were not the only experiment running around during the war."

"Apparently not," he shrugged. "But I was frozen for seventy odd years. What is your excuse?" Charlie was about to answer when a honk from downstairs interrupted her. She sprang up from the bed, glad she didn't have to answer, and grabbed his bag.

"Prison mobile is here," she said smiling and she grabbed Steve's bag and headed out the door with Steve shaking his head in confusion as he followed her.

* * *

It was only a short ride to the airfield where the plane awaited them. It was the type of high-tech airplane that the public could only dream of having and it was just another thing SHIELD was hoarding for their own purpose. Charlie didn't agree with this but there wasn't much she could do. Things were different than they used to be.

"So this Dr. Banner was trying to replicate the serum used on me?" Steve asked Agent Coulson.

"A lot of people were," Coulson responded. "You were the world's first superhero." Charlie smiled, Coulson would marry Steve if he could.

"Banner thought Gamma radiation held the key to unlocking Erskine's original formula," Charlie piped in.

"Didn't really go his way though, did it." Steve said more as a statement than a question. "What about you?" He turned to Charlie who bit her lip nervously. "Was it gamma radiation that changed you as well?"

Charlie took a deep breath trying to hold back the onslaught of painful memories she had kept locked up for so long.

"Not exactly," she whispered.

"But you said you were there with Howard Stark during the war?" Steve pressed.

"It's complicated," she stated.

"We're are coming in for a landing," the pilot announced before Steve could push things further. "Strap in gentlemen...and lady." Charlie quickly pulled on her seat belt doing her best to avoid eye contact with Steve who was still looking at her as if he was trying to figure out her secret.

It wasn't that she didn't want to tell him. They were very similar, both experiments, but she was far more than just a gamma radiation experiment, she was a Tesseract experiment and she did nothing to save the world from Hydra, she was the one who helped try and destroy it.

"I still think that every time I get up in one these things that I am going to crash into the ocean," he admitted to her, trying to ease the tension he had caused.

"Good thing you're not driving," Charlie stated and saw Steve visibly relaxed when she smiled at him.

Charlie winced as the plane hit the deck and she was pushed forward into the straps of her seat. She never liked landing in one of these things. Steve offered his hand to help her up from her seat once they landed and she gladly accepted it. Coulson smiled as he led them off the plane where Natasha was waiting.

Natasha Romanoff was fascinating to Charlie. A woman spy who could act circles around any hollywood celebrity. She knew how to get people to talk. Even if she was the one being tortured for information.

"Agent Romanoff. Dr. Banner." Coulson greeted. "Captain Rogers and of course you already know Charlie."

"Ma'am," Steve greeted dipping his head to Natasha. "Dr. Banner." He shook Banner's hand.

"Hi," was her response before she turned to Coulson. "They need you on the bridge."

"See you there," Agent Coulson said as he headed off to the bridge."Charlie, why don't you join me." Charlie smiled at Steve and Bruce as she followed Coulson onto the bridge.

"You okay?" He asked her, stopping short of the doors to the bridge where Fury waited impatiently. Charlie gave him a small smile and nodded.

"I'm fine." She assured him.

"I know that talking about your past is hard for you," Coulson empathized. "You don't have to answer their questions. Just try to understand that they aren't much different than you are. You are all experiments. Some of you with darker pasts than others but it might do you some good to share some of the things you have been through with people who understand where you are coming from."

Charlie rolled her eyes affectionately at Coulson and smiled as she walked onto the bridge. Steve and Banner were not far behind them talking animatedly about the helecarrier.

"Dr. Banner thanks for coming," Fury greeted Dr. Banner with an outstretched hand. Banner took it.

"Thanks for asking nicely," he said. Charlie couldn't tell whether or not he was being sarcastic. "So, umm, how long am I staying?"

"Once we have our hands on the Tesseract," Fury assured him. "You're in the clear." Banner nodded in thought.

"And where are we on that?" He asked.

"We are sweeping every wireless network available," Coulson explained.

"I thought Charlie could find it?" Banner asked.

"I can," Charlie stated. "However, Loki has it shielded. I can't detect it while it is being shielded from me, I have to wait until he makes a mistake."

"I'll rough out a tracking algorithm based on recognition. At least we can knock out a few places," Banner smiled rolling up his sleeves. Charlie could tell from his enthusiasm that he missed doing things like this. "You got somewhere I can work?"

"Agent Romanoff," Fury nodded at her. "Why don't you show Dr. Banner to his lab, Please." Charlie smiled.

She had set up the lab specifically for Dr. Banner knowing that he would love the toys she put in.

"Charlie," Fury turned to her. "Please give Captain Rogers a tour. Get him up to date on anything you can." Charlie nodded and waved a hand at Steve to follow her.

* * *

Charlie yawned as she sat fiddling with a test tube on one of Bruce Banner's lab tables while he had his head buried in a microscope. It had only been a couple of days since Loki's arrival and most of the Avengers had been assembled, minus Stark, who was always fashionably late, and Thor, who she doubted would show up since he was currently in an entirely different realm.

The tour with Steve had only taken a couple of hours. Most of it had been explaining what different things did. Kind of made her feel like she was a tour guide. But her mind kept wandering back to Loki.

She had never met Loki in person, only through the metal guardian that had come down in New Mexico, but he wasn't what she expected. Truthfully she didn't really know what to expect. After New Mexico she had not given it much thought but when he had looked into her eyes back at the Tesseract site she never expected to see sadness and confusion in his eyes.

"This is fascinating," Bruce whispered with a childlike awe interrupting Charlie's thoughts. "I have tried everything from acid to radiation on these cells and they just keep regenerating."

He turned to look at her, fascination evident in his eyes.

"You are virtually unaffected by radiation, minor wounds, electrocution..." Banner listed enthusiastically. Charlie took a deep breath, keeping in mind that Banner wasn't fully aware of her history. These are things she knew already. But she didn't have the option of finding that out with a microscope, she discovered it the hard way.

"I already know all that, Dr. Banner," She stated tensely. Bruce stopped listing the items he had confirmed didn't affect her and looked down at the floor guiltily.

"Right," He mumbled. "Sorry. I should have thought before I spoke." Charlie swallowed the lump in her throat and put a smile on her face.

"Its alright, Doctor," she waved it off. "I know that this research is important to you."

An awkward silence fell over the room as Banner and Charlie looked for something to say to fill the void.

Then an alarm sounded.

_Thank God_. Charlie thought as she followed Banner to the control room.

"We got a hit," Agent Jasper Sitwell swiveled in the chair at his station to hand Charlie a small tablet. "Sixty seven percent match. Weight, cross match...seventy nine percent."

"Location?" Coulson asked coming up behind her.

"Stuttgart, Germany. 28 Konigstrasse," Jasper confirmed. "He's not exactly hiding."

"Captain, you're up," Fury commanded stepping into the room.

"I can get there faster," Charlie stated. "It will take at least two hours to get to where he is, it will take me less than that. Especially now that he is out in the open."

"No," Fury was adamant.

"You have to trust me at some point, Fury," Charlie growled. "I can distract Loki. Make sure he doesn't hurt anyone. You know I can be useful and you know there is a possibility that Steve might arrive too late."

"I can't take the risk of something happening," he growled. "What if you lose control? You could decimate an entire city."

"So?" Charlie countered. "Loki will end up doing that without my help. Just let me go. I can do this..."

* * *

Charlie stood on the flight deck waiting for Natasha and Steve to load up before she lit the deck up with enough voltage that would fry anyone around her. She watched as Natasha walked onto the aircraft in her SHIELD uniform. Charlie was immensely grateful she didn't have to wear a field uniform. It was a poly-cotton blend that stuck to the wearer like a glove. Instead, she chose black leggings paired with a long white belted tunic and a pair of knee high black boots that had a type of grounding material in them to help control the flow of electricity when she used her abilities.

"So explain to me again how this works?" Steve asked as he approached her. Charlie smiled.

"I am going to use my connection with the Tesseract to transport myself to where Loki is now," Charlie explained. "I'll be using it as a doorway to go from here to there. Much like Loki used to go from another part of space to Earth but on a smaller less destructive scale."

"What if he isn't with the Tesseract?"

"Well, he isn't," Charlie explained. "I'll be focusing my energy on the smaller piece of Tesseract that he has in his staff. There is just enough link between it and me to work, but barely."

"Are you sure you are going to be alright?" He asked. Charlie nodded.

"I'll be fine," She urged trying to placate him. "Don't worry so much." Steve shrugged.

"I like worrying about you."

Charlie blushed as Steve walked off to join Natasha on the airplane. Once it was off the deck Charlie was ready to begin.

"You have a go," Fury's voice rang in her ear.

"Alrighty then," Charlie rubbed her hands together anxiously. "Let's rock and roll."

Charlie closed her eyes and concentrated. All she had to do was visualize Loki's scepter and focus her energy on the Tesseract piece he had shaped into his staff. It barely registered on her radar, if Loki hadn't hit her over the head with it, this wouldn't even work.

Lucky her.

"Found it," she whispered over the radio. "Take cover."

She took a deep breath and concentrated on sending her energy out to create a wormhole big enough to send her matter through. She could feel it start to form, her body surging with the energy from the Tesseract and the SNAP...with a loud brief crack of lightning, she was gone...


	3. Empowerment

_The cell was dirty, the foul stench that had repulsed Charlie when she had first arrived had dissipated, having grown accustomed to it over time. She couldn't remember how long she had been there. She had stopped counting once she had hit two years. And that, she believed, was many years ago. ._

_All in all the Russians were not an unwelcoming bunch. She had shown them that she was not one to be bullied or abused and they had all come to a mutual were alot of things Hydra had taught her that came in handy, some of which she wished she could forget. Many of the guards feared her, thinking her some kind of devil, so she never had to worry to much about unwelcome visitors in her cell._

_Charlie could smell snow. The window of her cell was at ground level and she could see the small drifts of fluffy white coldness peeking inside. She didn't mind the cold. It reminded her that she was still alive._

_"You have a visitor," Charlie jumped at sound of Ivan's voice, one of her more permanent guards. He was a kindly man, for a prison guard, he had been with her the longest. The door to the cell creaked open. "Come child."_

_Standing was hard, since her last encounter with one of the other inmates they had only let her outside on rare occasions. Charlie dug her fingers into the brick of the wall to help her stand and clung to it as she limped towards the cell opening._

_Ivan didn't bother to help. Charlie could tell he wanted to but he could not afford to appear weak to the other guards or to the inmates. He walked several paces in front of her, not bothering to look back to see if she was still behind him. Everyone in the prison knew she had long given up on escaping. _

_She knew where they were going. The meeting room._

_Ivan opened the door for her and gently pushed her inside. The entire walk she had been imagining who her visitor would be, another Russian scientist or doctor, a priest...she had been seen by them all._

_He, however, was not what she was expecting._

_The visitor was tall, dark skinned, and completely clad in black from his boots to the eye patch he wore over his left eye. He stood, his back to her, looking up at the camera in the corner of the room with his hands clasped behind his back._

_Ivan closed the door behind her leaving her alone with her unknown guest._

_"Miss Raies," The man's deep voice resonated through the brick room. "I am Director Fury."_

_Charlie remained silent. His title meant nothing to her._

_"I have heard a lot about you," he continued undeterred by her silence. "Howard Stark spoke very highly of you in all of his mission briefings."_

_He knew Howard._

_"And how is Mr. Stark?" she asked. "Still working for the military?"_

_"Howard Stark is dead."_

_Charlie swallowed back a lump in her throat. She had known Howard well, she owed him her life._

_"I'm sorry," she whispered biting back the tears. "He was a good man."_

_"How long have you been in this prison?"_

_Charlie bit her lip, taken aback by the question. It ended with a shrug._

_"Why are you here?"_

_That was his next question. Charlie let out a humorless chuckle._

_"Bad timing," She stated. "Russia raided a Hydra weapons compound at the same time I did. I got caught in the crossfire."_

_"How would you like to get out of here," It was a statement not a question. He didn't have to ask whether or not she wanted to leave Russia, there was no reason to, it was written all over her face._

_"Depends on what you are offering," she countered. "I really would not want to change one prison for another."_

_Fury smirked._

_"How about a chance to build back some karma?" He asked. "Make amends."_

_"And how do you want me to do that?" She asked taking a step towards him. "Hydra is already dead and your Captain America is probably well on his way to taking out Hitler."_

_"Hitler is dead," Fury deadpanned. "And as far as we know, so is Captain America."_

_"Captain America is dead?" Charlie asked, shock crossing her face. "Impossible. Erskines' formula would give him unnaturally long life, unless..."_

_"There has been no sign of Captain America in a very long time, Miss Raies," He stated. "And even if he managed to survive I doubt Erskine's magic formula meant that he would live sixty years."_

_"What?" Charlie didn't think she heard him right._

_"You have been in this prison for sixty years, Mrs. Raies."_

_"That's impossible."_

_"Apparently not as impossible as one might have thought."_

_"Who are you really?" She was tired of him asking all the questions. "What do you really want with me?"_

_"I want to give you a chance," He said. "I am part of an organization that was put in place to help protect the Earth from people like Hydra. It is a chance for you to redeem yourself and maybe figure out a few things about yourself along the way."_

_"No prison cell?"_

_"No prison cell." He confirmed._

_"Okay then," Charlie held out her hand. "Deal."_

* * *

Charlie let out a gasp of pain as she landed on the cold wet cement. She could hear screams; apparently she had arrived just in time for the party. Groaning, she pushed herself up from the ground and wiped the blood and dirt from her cut hands.

Police sirens were screeching in the distance but they would be useless against Loki's power. She knew very well the power of the Tesseract. Very few things could stop it, if any at all.

As silently as she could she snuck into the crowd of kneeling people in front of Loki, a sight he was no doubt relishing. Power corrupts she knew this all too well.

"Is this not your natural state?" Loki asked the kneeling people. "It's the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation..."

"Or maybe your just mad with power?" Charlie stood up, he had been going on for the last couple of minutes and it was beginning to grate. "Maybe, you have some daddy issues you need to work through."

Loki's cold eye met hers and for a moment she was trapped in them. There was no darkness there, no evil intent, just an overwhelming amount of sadness.

"I was hoping you would join us," Loki sneered dropping her gaze. "I was going to throw out the welcome mat but I thought that would be overdone." Charlie made her way through the crowd towards him.

"Well, it would have been a thoughtful gesture," she mused. "How about we compromise. You let these people go and I'll forget all about you not rolling out the welcome mat for me."

"These people want to be led," he stated. "They have an innate need to be slaves and ruled over. It is in their primitive DNA that makes them long to kneel at the feet of their god."

"Too bad you are not a god," Charlie stated casually. "I knew a man like you. He believed he was more superior and he died with that belief. Plus, you look more like a skinny rhinoceros than a god."

Loki growled. Charlie saw it as her chance to strike. She had a hand behind her back slowly building up a small ball of Tesseract energy. Just enough to knock him out and hopefully not do any damage to the surrounding area. The small town in New Mexico still hadn't recovered from her last attempt at something like this.

"You ignorant fool!" Loki's eyes were drawn away from her as a siren sounded in the distance.

Now was her chance.

Charlie hurled the ball of energy at him with all of her might but it dissipated mid air before it reached him.

That was disappointing.

"Do you think me foolish?" His cold eyes turned on her with a fierceness she had never seen before. Loki held up his staff. Charlie dove out of the way as he hurled a bolt of Tesseract energy at her. "You are nothing but a mere shadow of the great power of the Tesseract. You are too frail and know nothing about the power you contain. My barriers will not be broken by you. You who are just as weak as they are."

"They are not weak!" Charlie spoke up, her voice carrying through the plaza. "They have survived millions of years on their own with no help from anyone. They are a free people who made it through war and famine and terror to become the dominant species on this planet. They worship a god who does not rule them but who fellowships. They are not mean to be..."

"They are meant to be ruled!' He yelled at her. "By a true god, by one god! In the end they will always kneel!"

"Not to men like you!" Loki and Charlie turned in surprise to face a man who stood up amongst the crowd. He was elderly, a balding man with grey hair and a trench-coat, she could see the numbers on his arms. He was a survivor of WW2.

"There are no like me, I assure you."

"There are always men like you!" The elder spat. Loki just smiled. Charlie stood watching the man, a brave man, stand up to a power he could never conceive.

"Look to your elder people," Loki raised his staff towards the man. "Let him be an example."

"Loki no!" Charlie screamed diving in front of the elder as a blast of Tesseract energy came surging towards him. She closed her eyes bracing herself for the impact she was about to face.

Nothing happened.

She opened her eyes to find Steve crouched in front of them his shield protecting them from the blow. Loki lay sprawled out on the ground, an irritated grimace on his face.

"You know the last time I was in Germany I saw a man standing before everybody else," Steve informed Loki as he walked towards him tall and unafraid. "We ended up disagreeing." Loki stood up.

"The soldier," He sneered. "The man out of time."

"I'm not the one out of time," Steve commented. Charlie looked up to see Natasha's small plane hovering above them, guns ready.

"Loki drop the weapon and stand down." Natasha's voice rang through the crowd. Charlie knew Loki wouldn't respond well to that. With a jab of his staff he sent a burst of energy at the plane. Distracted, Steve managed to hurl his shield at Loki and catch him off guard.

"Charlie," Steve yelled over the noise. "Get these people to safety."

"Let's go people," She yelled over the crowd. "As fast as you can, don't push, try and stay calm." Charlie skidded to stop and turned her head frantically when she saw Steve take a blow.

"Steve!" Charlie cried out. But he didn't hear her. Charlie surged forward sending energy blast after energy blast in Loki's direction to distract him. He was too busy trying to counter all of them that he didn't notice Charlie sweep his feet out from underneath him. Loki fell gracelessly to the ground but his staff came up slicing Charlie in the arm.

She bit back the pain, placing her foot firmly on the staff, but Loki was too quick. One moment she was looking down at Loki prepared to incapacitate him for transport and the next she found herself flying threw the air. She expected to hit something-a wall-a car-but she remained suspended in the air trapped by whatever energy Loki had conjured.

Helplessly Charlie watches as Loki placed his staff on the top of Steve's head.

"Kneel," Loki whispered menacingly to Steve.

"Not today!" Steve shot back. He came around and kicked but Loki was ready for him. He sent Steve sprawling to the ground. Suddenly the silence was shattered as the speakers of Natasha's plane began blaring music...rock music. Charlie rolled her eyes, at least she could do that. There was only one person who would...or could..hack into a SHIELD communication system and play rock n roll from its speaker.

Tony Stark.

She had never personally met Tony Stark. She had always wanted to but Fury thought it would be best to keep her distance considering Howard and hers close relationship. Still, she had been curious about who Howard's son had grown up to be and she found that they were two separate people entirely, except for their looks and their smarts.

Charlie let out a short cry as her prison broke and she went plummeting towards the ground. Strong arms wrapped themselves around her before she hit the ground. Strong, metal arms.

"Well, nice of you to show," She said to Stark. "Glad it wasn't an inconvenience for you." Stark shrugged as he set her down.

"What can I say," he said. "I like to make an entrance." Charlie shook her head. Definitely not like Howard.

"Well let's get going then," She said. "I would like to get back to HQ before he decides to pull something else." Both of the men nodded. Charlie let Stark take control of Loki as they headed back to the plane Natasha had landed.

"You alright?" Steve asked her. Charlie smiled.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that question?" Charlie raised an eyebrow at him. "You are the one who got thrown around like a rag doll." Steve laughed not bothered by the fact that Loki had pretty much bested him.

"I'm tougher than I look." Charlie bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud at the irony of his statement.

"I'm sure you are," she chuckled as she sat down across from Loki. Something was off with him, he was much too calm for someone who was about to be locked up in a cell that was impossible to penetrate.

She knew that from experience...


	4. Seducement

"I don't like it."

Steve interrupted the silence that surrounded them. Loki hadn't said a word since they took off back to headquarters, instead he sat cuffed to his seat staring at Charlie with a smirk on his face.

"Rock of ages giving up so easily?" Tony asked, his mask up.

"I don't remember it being that easy," Steve admitted. "This guy packs a wallop."

"Still," Tony remarked. "You are pretty spry for an older fellow. What's your thing? Pilates?"

"What?" Steve asked confused.

"It's like Calisthenics," Tony explained. "You might have missed a few things doing time as a Capsicle."

"Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in," Steve said pointedly. Charlie rolled her eyes. This is not what she needed at the moment.

"Yeah," Tony smirked. "There is a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you."

"Stark!" Charlie snapped. "Would you..." A crack of thunder erupted causing Charlie to stop short of the tirade she was about to give Stark. The jet began to shake violently from the lightening strikes.

"Where is this coming from?" Natasha asked from the cockpit. Loki stared out the window intently.

"What's the matter?" Steve jiibed at him. "Scared of a little lightning?" Loki stared at him.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows?" It took Charlie a moment before she caught on.

"Thor." She whispered. Loki's head snapped to look at her.

"You know..." Loki didn't get to finish his sentence. Charlie made a snap decision as the top of the plane peeled back to reveal Thor. A moment later both Loki and herself were gone.

Charlie could barely breathe as she clung to Loki. She never wanted to learn to fly when she was a child like many other children fantasized about and now as an adult she had even less of an inclination to learn to do so.

She barely noticed when they landed, the only indication was her legs crumpling beneath her. She couldn't tell where they were, it was too dark, all she could see were mountains and a small forest not far from the cliff side they were on.

"Where is the Tesseract, Loki?" Thor's voice boomed across the mountainside. Loki just laughed.

"I missed you too."

"Do I look to be in a gaming mood?" Thor asked. Charlie stopped listening. She didn't care to hear about their sibling rivalry, especially since she was having a hard time breathing at such high an altitude and the less control she had over her body, the less control she had over abilities.

She tried concentrating but the bickering noise in the background made it hard for her to hear herself think. Charlie began to feel dizzy and nauseaus the more the energy built up. She could feel it on her skin, a slight tingling sensation as the current ran through her like electricity.

"Would you two shut up!" Charlie snapped through clenched teeth.

Silence.

"Charlotte?" That was Thor. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying not to blow this mountain up," She hissed in pain. Loki stood back watching her. The girl had no obvious control of what was happening to her. That was the problem with a Tesseract vessel. Humans were ruled by emotions. Unstable and unpredictable. The Tesseract needed order or it would consume its host.

Thor took a stride towards her but Loki held him back.

"What are you doing, Loki?" Thor was surprised. "She needs my aid."

"Wait you oaf," Loki responded. "If you try to provide aid she could end up blowing us all up with her power."

"Do you plan to just let her suffer then?" Loki rolled his eyes.

"What is her name again?" He asked impatiently.

"Charlotte." Loki took a step forward.

"Listen to me Charlotte," Loki whispered just loud enough for her to hear. His voice was calm and even. "You need to calm yourself. Whatever is causing you to lose control, you need to find its root, and quell it. Elsewise you will blow us all up."

"What do you think I am trying to do? Yoga?" She bit back a scream of frustration.

"Breathe in slowly and let it out slowly," Loki kept going, ignoring her sarcasm. Thor was surprised that he did not get irritated with the girl as he normally would anyone else. He had never seen Loki speak to someone as if they were on the same level as him but here he was witnessing it for the first time.

Loki took a cautious step forward.

"Loki," Thor warned, afraid his brother would try something uncouth.

"I know what I am doing," Loki insisted, his biting tone back. "I know the power of the Tesseract."

"And who taught you this power?" Thor asked tersly. "You listen well brother. I..." Then he was gone.

Loki stopped his advancement towards the girl and turned to look at the empty spot where Thor once stood.

"I'm listening..." He smiled cockily before returning to his original path. He didn't know why but something about seeing the girl writhe in pain over a power she was not meant to have softened him a bit. She looked ridiculously fragile but instead of feeling disgust or aversion as he normally would, all he wanted to do was protect her.

Loki bent down next her and drew her into his lap as best he could with his cuffed hands. She wasn't crying like he would expect a woman to do, instead her face was calm, full of is when Loki did something he never thought he would do.

He kissed her.

Charlie's eyes flew open the moment she felt his lips on hers but to her own surprise she welcomed the kiss instead of pushing him away. She could feel the energy inside of her begin to settle again, its up-rise quelled by whatever magic Loki's kiss held.

"Wow!" Those were the first words out of Charlie's mouth when Loki released her from his kiss.

"I have that effect on people." Was Loki's smart remark. Charlie rolled her eyes.

"How did you do that?" She asked intrigued.

"Kiss me again and I might tell you," was his reply.

"You egotistical..." Charlie whipped her head around at the sound thunder. Loki rolled his eyes at the distraction and stood up dragging Charlie along with him.

The forest was lit with the light from Tony's suit and Thor's hammer firing at one another. She could still feel extra energy surging through her that she needed to get rid of.

"I know this is probably sadistic to ask but..." Charlie looked from Loki down to the forest where Tony, Steve, and Thor were. Loki rolled his eyes and placed his cuffed arms around her. It felt oddly welcoming to him.

He had held many women in his arms back on Asgard but he had never felt the warmth he felt as he did now holding her in his arms.

"Hold tight," He whispered in her ear. Charlie shivered but not in the way she thought she would. Instead of repulsion her body shivered with anticipation. She tightened her hold on his arms as he stepped towards the cliff, one step at a time until there was no where left to go but down. She wasn't sure what he was going to do until the last moment when she saw his foot step over the edge. Charlie shut her eyes and clung to Loki. She expected a fall or anything that would have let her know they had stepped off the cliff but she felt nothing.

"You can let go of me now," Loki said rather amused. Charlie opened her eyes to find them on the forest floor. Charlie blushed and wiggled her way out of his arms.

"You want me to put the hammer down!" She heard Thor cry as lightening flashed towards them. Charlie shoved Loki out of the way of a lightening bolt and ducked at it hurtled past her head. Tony went to make another move towards Thor with Steve hot on his tail.

"Enough!" Charlie yelled, the energy of the Tesseract boiling to the surface, targeting the three Avengers with enough power to send them flying in opposite directions. Loki was impressed but he could he also see the drain it took on her.

"What are you three doing?" she continued in the same loud voice she had began in. "You are supposed to be allies! Not bickering enemies!"

"He's the one..." Tony stopped cold when he saw the glare she gave him.

"You three need to get your act together or else I will leave you here and take Loki back on my own," She stared each one of them down daring them to speak up. "Now. If you are done. Let's go."

Charlie turned on her heels and marched towards the plane that Natasha had landed in the clearing not far from them. Thor grabbed Loki by the arm and dragged him alongside the Avengers as they made their way after Charlie.

"I thought Pepper had a temper," Tony whispered.

"I have never seen her that mad before," Steve replied.

"I have," Thor huffed. "In a place you call New Mexico. She nearly destroyed the entire village we were in." Tony and Steve whistled in amazement.

That was how she knew Thor and why she seemed so familiar. He had barely paid any attention to any besides Thor. Now that he thought back to the event he had noticed her. She had been at the Bifrost site.

What an interesting development, Loki thought. An interesting development indeed.


End file.
